Closure operator



Nov. 24, 1936.

F. A. PURDY CLOSURE OPERATOR 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Fild Dec. 14, 1923 Nov. 24, 1936. PURDY Y 2,062,015

CLOSURE OPERATOR Filed Dec. 14, 1923 4 sheets-sheet 2 I. Nov. 24, 1936. F. A. PURDY CLOSURE OPERATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 14, 1923 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATE i ATET OFFIQE CLOSURE OPERATOR Frederick A. Purdy, Scarsdale, N. Y.

Application December 14, 1928, Serial No. 326,084

25 Claims. (Cl. .268--35) T s invention relates to Closure-Operators, and gage connections to each motive means, also suithaS Particular application to d v e r p able sheaves, chains, etc., connected to these main i n on r l h Operation f doors of parts; and four door-drive cables, two cables to ara n m lar building s t apply door-opening drive as not to door Y and lei 5 j s of t invention are increased to door X, passing from the wall-assembly over v ni nce and e n myh r bj s W i b m sheaves in lintel assemblies to the free ends of pp n the v pm n of h r p respective drive-arms 2i, and two cables to ap- In the drawings: ply door-closing drive, as N32 to door Y and 863 A preferred form of the invention is illustrated t d X, passing from th wall-assembly over in the accompanying drawings, in Which sheaves in lintel-assemblies to the respective pins 0 1 is a p n v w of a w y and doors as 29 in door-brackets 28; doors X and Y being of at a resid nc a w in relative loeathe hinged type closing together at their free tions, the assemblies and interconnections that edges, one lapping over th the a by the lapmake up the door-operator; strip Z. Fig. 2 iS an e va i w the doorway as The terms energy storing motive-means or 15 seen 'from the inside of garage, S w the Same inherently energized motive-means are intenddoor-operator assemblies and interconnections in ed t define t n hi h by positioning relative positions; are put into condition to deliver energy for moti- 3 s a elevation w crosswise cf the vation of the door; as by the deflection of a w y and doorway from the line of spring, the raising of a weight, or the positioning showing the same door-operator assemblies and of t deer itself t move by it n i ht, A interconnections in relative positions; motive-means to which the motivating energy is FigS- and 6 are face, Side, and Vi'eWS, delivered as consumed, such as an electric motor, reSPe0tiVe1Y,0f protective housing With a sheave is not regarded as energy storing motive-means mounted in it; or inherently energized motive-means in the 25 Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are face, side, and top views, Sense in which d r respectively, of trap-assembly drawn on an enlarged scale;

Wheel-contact assembly Figs. 10 and 11 are side and face views, respec- Platen Iii, sheared with a downward fin I23 tively, of a button-mounting or anchorage on a to drop water at its edges, is attached by pins ll 30 single strand of cable; in hinges 9 to a box made up of four walls, as 2 Figs. 12 and 13 are side and face views, respecand 3, constituting a concrete outer form, and tively, of an anchorage for a cable in the form of providing a ledge 22 to arrest downward movea loop. ment of platen H). An openbottom is provided in Each character of reference represents the a n r te floor 2! int which i k Sump- 5 same p in all drawings in which it pp pipe 28 supported below and around by rocks or other material it between the interstices of which water is stored pending seepage, the sump superficially, the device Consists of a Wheel thus formed being carried down to a non-freezing contact platen I0 depressible by the wheel of a depth according to Climate so as t keep the 40 Vehicle, Connected to mechanism adapted to mechanism below the platen It! free of Water and ply a pull upon a cable I09 extending into the General description garage through the pipe hose Wall A base-rib 4 attached to walls 3 is sunk into the sembly on a pane1 carrymg spring 90 as F concrete floor 2i and has holes 22 for drainage id-energy storing or inherently energized motive through it to the mouth of the sumpmipe.

means door openmg sprmg as an energy Links I": are mounted pivotally at it to base-rib storing or inherently energized motive means for door closing, an air-cylinder as a time-delay means for door-closing and a cushioning means to ieldingly terminate the movement of doors wh n approaching each limit of travel at open An extenslon on f of the lmks 1 i Cable and dosed positions, disp1acement a,rm 4:5 t H19 attached to it, this cable Hi9 extending into automatically take up excess cable sumciently to the gara th ou the P pe OSe 0, Where it compensate for cable-stretch occurring in re-setconnects on a wall-assembly to spring and ting, and a trap-assembly having jaws 44 to encable l3? later described. 55

4 and at it to connecting-bar 5 and to links I, which links 7 are pivotally mounted at M to hinges l3 attached to platen I0. 50 g Spring 6 attached to one end-wall 3 and to connecting-bar 5 normally tends to bring one end of connecting-bar 5 against'the end-wall 3, and the length of this end of connecting-bar 5 determines the angular position assumed by the p1atensupporting links 1 and I1 when platen I is in upward position, in which angular position of links 1 and I1 the pivots I6 are off center from a straight line between respective pivots I I and I8, as appearing in Fig. 2.

It may be noted by way of illustration that a rhomboid figure is produced by this arrangement,

in which the platen I 0 and connecting bar formtwo substantially parallel sides, and the-links 1 the other two substantially parallel side's, these pairs of sides not being at right angles. lar rhomboid is formed by the connecting bar 5 with the base 4 and links I1, the links I1 being slanted from the connecting bar oppositely as to links 1.

It may be noted further that the same result mechanically would be obtained by making all sides equal in the figure of a rhombus, or that a workable arrangement could be made with a single rhomb or rhomboid instead of the dual rhomboidal arrangement illustrated.

Either a rhomboidal or a rhombical arrangement above and below the connecting bar. 5 serves to bring the pivots I6 away from or off center from a straight line between the pivots I4 and I8. The farther oiT center, the weaker is the resistance to a weight applied on platen III, the maximum of resistance being at the highest position of platen II! where the beginning of a depression occurs; and the distance off center'is determined to afford sufficient resistance to depression by persons while permitting depression by one wheel of a vehicle. 9

The linkages made up of links 1 and I1 assume varying angular relationsto connecting-bar 5,the angles becoming the more acute as the platen I0 depresses and moves connecting-bar 5 away from spring .6 to extend the latter. The more acute the angle, the greater is the strength of attack against the resistance of the spring, and resistance falls off rapidly after a weight is applied to the platen'suflicient to overcome the maximum. This insures that a depression once started will be followed by a full collapse of the platen I0 to the ledge I2, insuring required adequate pull on cable I09 to actuate -mechanism later described, and, as later noted, any depression of the platen I0, completed momentarily before the doors have gone through any or part of their movement, is sufficient to set into action the door driving mechanism.

This arrangement of a connecting-bar between a plurality of linkages of platen-supporting links 1 and I1 provides for a controlled similarity of action which distributes the resistance of the single spring uniformly throughout the wheel-contact range of the platen I0 from side to side.

Door-connections 21 has at this free end a notch 31 to engagekeep- A simier 24 to hold the doors open when pulled to open position against resistance of the door closing spring 9 I. This constitutes a means for engaging the door-closing motive-means to hold its motive force from operating the door until selectively released, when the door is in open position, by release-bar 25. The bar 25, pivoted at 59 on bracket 26 attached to base 33, is lifted by a pull (against tensioning spring 36) on chain I35 running over pulley I40 attachedto base 33. The chain I35 thenpasses over pulley I39 attached to panel 40 and connects at I36 (Fig. 3) to cable I31, which in turn connects at I38 to cable I09, already described, and is pulled by depression of platen I0 in the runway.

The chain I35,.between pulleys I40 and I39, has hand-ring I33 (Fig. 2) pendant to it by chain I34, for optional actuation manually independently of platen I0.

Bases 33 of both lintel assemblies are spaced fromthe lintel by blocks 34,-'and attachedto the lintel by fastenings 35.

The door drive'arms 21 have on-their-freeends upturned lugs 38 to which there are, attached re spective door-opening drive-cablesIM' and I;0I

which, as shown, pass over sheaves mountedon respective lintel-assembly bases 33, extendto and over respective sheaves 98 and 99,- fastened by brackets 49 to panel 40, and extend to fastenings at the yoke 48, later described.

When the doors are opened manually, drive arms 21 are free from the driving-stress of cables" I00 and IOI, and these drive arms normally tend to slant slightly downward toward their free ends,

thus permitting drive arm 21 keeper on -door Y to engage 24 by means of its notch 31; but,:. when under driving stress, as by spring 90 during'andat termination of a mechanical operation the cables .I

exert a lifting force on the free ends of arms 21 until lugs 38 are level with the sheaves overwhich the cables pass, and notch 31 onvdrive arm;

21 at door Y is clear of keeper 24. This permits of manual resetting withoutobstructionafter a mechanical opening.

In order to insure that the notch-"21: will:not latch on keeper 24, after a mechanical opening,

the. springu90. is soadjusted that it will'not drive the doors open quite as far as they may beopened manually.

Notches 30 in lintel assembly bases-33 are provided in order to bring the pins 29 into line with the peripheries of the respective sheaves over which cables I00 and I 0I pass,:this line being sub-' stantially at right angles to the door when closed...

Since the wall-assembly mayv go on eitherwall, and the larger'of the lintel assemblies goes nearer the wall-assembly, the notch 30 that is nearer the door-hinge is the one so'lined up with pin 29. Each pivoted drive arm 21 is thus controlled at its unmounted and free end so thatnwhen-the doors are in closed position the drive-arm is held substantially at a right angle to the door-coincid ing .with-the shortest distance that can 'be taken by cable I00 or MI, and is thus held clear of the side wall construction in the area served by the doors. Throughout the door-actionflthe" drive arms assume varying angularrelations to the doors determined by the direction of pull by the respective cable I00 or -IOI.

Door-closing drive cables I02 and I03 attach to respective drive-arm pivot pins 29, and, asshown, pass over sheaves mounted on lintel as; sembly bases 33, cut-outs39 in the sheave-housings,.as in Fig. 5, allowing for wide. rangeof movement of the cables, and these cables extend 1:075.

and over sheaves 96' and 91 (Fig. 3) fastened by brackets 49 to panel 40, and extend to adjustable anchorages at yoke 93 in the wall-assembly. These anchorages at yoke 93 are adjustable for controlling the exact positions of the doors when closed, to compensate for warping, or to bring the lap-strip, as Z, on one door to lap precisely over the other door.

The doors are interconnected by cables I04 and I05. Cable I04 attaches to pin 29 on door Y and extends over sheaves in both lintel-assemblies, as shown, to an anchorage at lug 38 of drive arm 21 on door X, and cable I05 attaches to pin 29 on door X and extends over sheaves in both lintelassemblies, as shown, to an anchorage at lug 38 of drive arm 21 on door Y. These provide for similarity in door actions, and for countering winds. Spring I32 inserted between sections of cable I04, as shown, permits opening of door Y a limited distance for the passage of persons when door X is bolted in closed position.

Wall-assembly The wall-assembly, mounted to the wall by fastenings 95, has an air-cylinder dash-pot I20 attached to panel 40 by straps I30. The aircylinder is of conventional design having two piston leathers, one sealing compression in each direction. Escape of air is adjustably controlled by turning caps I 2| and I22 tighter or looser on their screw-threads on either end of the cylinder.

The air-cylinder, as shown, is of a length that corresponds to about one-quarter of the effec tive travel of the cables.

When platen I0 is set close to the doors, as in a sidewalk, so that a vehicle backing out of the garage engages it to set up a door-closing action before the vehicle is clear of the doorway, this air-cylinder is made longer to correspond to the full effective travel of the cables and other door drive connections. It then acts throughout the door movement as a time-delay means to delay closing of the door to enable the vehicle passing therethrough to clear the moving range of the doors.

On the lower end of air-cylinder piston-rod II 9, bumper 41 is mounted, also chain II6, by S-hook II1. Chain H6 is attached at its lower end by pin I3I to yoke 48.

Cables I00 and IOI, already noted, thread through holes in bumper 41 and yoke 48, and cable I 00 is anchored to a weight I24. The weight I24 holds cable I00 in tension to prevent the cable from hanging into the doorway when the doors are opened by hand. Similarly cable |0| is held in tension by spring I 25 fastened to panel 40 at I21 and tied to cable IOI by a knot I20 in the cable, which knot prevents the cable from passing out of the hole in yoke 48.

Yoke 48 connects to chain 5 which in turn is anchored at II4 to cable I06 which carries buttons H3 and H2 for setting guide 45 later described. The cable I06 passes over sheave and is connected, as cable I01, by anchorage 03 to door-opening spring 90 attached by bracket 92 to panel 40.

Cables I02 and I03, already noted, are held by anchorages MI and I42 at yoke 93, to which yoke is attached by S-hook 94 the door-closing spring 9| anchored at its bottom end to cable I08 which passes over sheaves 82 and 8| to clutch or button II I by which it is fastened to cable I06.

Jaws 44 of the trap assembly pivot on bracket 4| at 5 I, bracket 4| being fastened through spacer 50 to panel 40, as shown in enlarged views in Figs. 7, 8, and 9.

Jaws 44 are supported pivotally at 58 by links 00 pivoting at 51 on trigger 42 supported pivotally at 50 on bracket 4|, Spring 64 fastened at 08 to panel 40 engages trigger 42 at 56 and normally tends to hold trigger 42 so that the center of pivot 51 is beyond a straight line 53 between pivots 56 and 50. The links 60 are stopped against bracket 4| by a suitably cut off corner of one of the links 00.

Jaws 44 are adapted to support clutch or button I when in manual closing of the doors the door-opening spring 90 is extended, as later noted under the heading operation, and this support of clutch or button III afiords a means for engaging door-opening spring 90 andfor holding its motive force from operating the door until selectively released as later described.

Guide 45, pivoted to bracket 4| at 55, confines cable I06 between cross members 53 and 54, member 54 being so placed that when the guide 45 is set in horizontal position, as shown in the drawings, by button II3, it brings cable I06 out beyond the jaws 44. When guide 45 is lifted by button I I2, member 53 is then effective to introduce cable I06 precisely between the two jaws 44.

Latch 43, pivoting at 10 on bracket 4|, is lifted by chain I43 (Fig. 3) attached to it and extending up to attachment with spring I44 on bumper 41, this lifting being timed to occur when the doors are within a predetermined range of closed position. When the doors are opened out of. this range and chain I43 is freed, the lower slanting edge of latch 43 engages over a pin 1! fast in trigger 42 and extending therefrom, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. When latch 43, governed by the door-position as described, is pulled by chain I43 out of engagement with pin II, trigger 42 may be pulled at 01 by spring 65 attached to cable I09 controlled by depression of platen I0,

and thus the support of jaws 44 may be made to collapse and allow the door-opening motivemeans to become operative.

Optionally the spring 65 may be manually pulled for actuation independently of platen I 0.

The wall-assembly has also a displacementarm 40 pivoting at 14 and embracing chain II5 between cross members 15 and 11; it has mounted on it at 19 a spring 15 which fastens to panel There is a hand-ring connected to yoke 93 by the S-hook 94, and to this there attaches a cable 89 which passes down over stirrup-sheave 86 to attachment on bracket fastened to panel 40.

Hangers 81 on sheave 86 support foot-stirrup bar 88.

Sheaves in sheave-housings Where sheaves are mentioned in this description, they are in the form shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, having a sheave-wheel I62 on ball-bearings I64 turning on pin I65 mounted in two housing members I60 and I6 I, formed as shown, and held together by rivets I66, and having mounting holes I61. These housings provide slots I93, for the introduction and passage of the cables. As already mentioned, part of the metal, as at 39, Fig. 5, is cut out in certain sheave housings in the lintel assembly to allow for a required broad range of traverse by cable I00.

Cable attachment fixtures In Figs. 10 and 11, a cable-attachment is shown which may form a slug to hold one end of a cable from passing through a hole, or may form a button such as H2 and H3; and in Figs. 12and 13 a loop attachment is shown, such as at 83.0n spring 90.

Both these attachments consist of a middle washer I45 through the hole of which the cable passes and becomes held in a slightly S-formation by-the tightening of the washers I41 and I48 against it when nut I49 is drawn up tightly on bolt I46.

Operation The door operator is designed to operate in the main from depression of the wheel-contact platen to close the doors when the user drives away from the garage and to open the doors when he drives back.

It is designed to be re-set bythe manual operation of the doors when the user, having alighted from the vehicle, closes the doors and, optionally, locks them, and when, in going to get the vehicle out of the garage, he opens the doors.

The automatic service is had when the user is in the vehicle under movement outside the garage, and the manual operations occur when the user is .on his feet to conveniently perform them.

Assuming that the position of the mechanism as shown in the drawings is that taken immediately after a door opening movement under action of spring has been had, the user having driven into the garage, the user alights from the vehicle and pulls one of the doors closed by hand. The other door follows through control by interconnecting cables I04 and I05.

In this hand-operation the drive arms on the doors pull the cables I00 and I0! anchored to their free ends, and through these and the connections described the spring 90 is brought into extended position, while clutch or button III engages over jaws 44, and displacement-arm 46, engaged by button H4 is brought to position 46a. In position .460. the displacement arm forces a greater take-up in the train of cable H6 and chain I I5 above guide 45 and below yoke 48*than would be taken in a straight line between the guideand yoke. The extra take-up is illustrated by broken lines I06a-I I5a.

These positions, with clutch or button I H .over jaws 44 and with displacement-arm at 46a correspond to the terminationof movement of the doors into closed position in hand-operation. Upon releasing the doors, the clutch orbutton III settles upon, and is held by, jaws '44, while displacement-arm 46, now free of tensional friction by chain H5, assumes position 462) under pull of spring 15. In this position it frees the excess length, taken up in the train of; cable and chain, as described, and the slack thus afforded allows the settling of clutch or button III on jaws 44 and also allows the cables to recoil from the stretching that takes place under the handresetting operation. This settling and recoil from cable-stretch would otherwise hold the doors slightly open.

Such manual operation of the doors into closed position storesup energy in spring 90 and this is done independently of the storing up of energy in the spring 9|, for, as the doors closed, cables I02 and I03, connected to spring 9|, yielded with the door-movement and allowed spring 9| to idle downward while cable I08 was allowed The clutching of the clutch or button I I I on the.

jaws '44 prevents spring 90 from operating the doors until selectively released, as later noted, and it also-engages the spring 9| to cause the same to bear. continuously on the doors to keep them normally .clo se.d. Spring 9I is released when button I I I is released from jaws 44 and at the same time spring .90 ;is released.

Instead of having pulled the doors closed by manual operation applied directly upon them,

the hand-ring 84 could have been pulled-by hand to give the same re-setting effect, or the foot-,

stirrup could have been depressedby foot to give the same eiTect, or both these could have been actuated together as a manual operation ofthe door in re-setting.

Opening the doors by manual operation applied directly to them, as when going to get the vehiclebrackets 28, which brackets move as the doors are opened by hand. These cables raise yoke-93 and extend spring 9| upward while its lower end is held against movement through the engagement of clutch or button III. When the doors reach fully open position the notch 31 in arm 21 engages keeper 24 and the spring BI is held from operating the door until selectively released as now to be noted.

Upon the vehicle being driven out of the garage,

its first wheel one one side depresses the platen I0 effecting a pull on cables I09 and I31 and chain I35 to lift release-bar 25 and clear the notch 3'! from keeper 24, allowing spring 9| to close the door-and this has been done selectively as against opening spring 90, for the latch 43,v

locking trigger 42 until the doors are within a predetermined range of closed position, has pre:

vented spring 65 from pulling trigger 42 out, of the position in which it supports the engagement,

of jaws 44 with clutch or button III which pro-I vents spring 90 from operating the door.

When the doors reach within a predetermined. range of closed position, the latch 43 is disengaged from pin II on trigger 42 by the pull effected on chain I43 and spring I44 on bumper 41. This bumper is driven upward by yoke 48 which is lifted by cables I00 and MI which are pulled upon by the door-drive arms as the doors close. Within this predetermined range of closed position, any depression of platen I0, such as will occur when a vehicle returns to get into the garage, pulls spring 65 downwardly by means of.

cable I09,and lowers the trigger 4,2 and jaws 44 to the positions indicated by dotted outlines in Fig. '7, wherein button IIIis released or unclutched from jaws 44 allowing the motive means 90 to drive the doors into open position. It can beseen that this is done selectively as against closing motive means 9|, for this latter motive meansis, by the very release or unclutching of button III, detached from operable effect and left to travel idly upward as the cables I02 and I03, to which it is attached, follow withthe doors in opening.

The operation described, completed with the doors in open position, brings the mechanism back to the position shown in the drawings.

In the operationsobserved in the severa l preceding paragraphs it will be noted that the automatic door-closing action may be had independe ently of whether any automatic door-opening action occurs before or after, and vice-versa.

Either action, door-closing or door-opening, may be taken as a separate and independent phase.

The door-closing phase takes effect through the raising of arm 21 from keeper 24 by the release-bar 25, freeing the motive-spring 9| to close the doors; and the door-opening phase takes effect by the tripping of jaws 44 by the trigger 42, freeing the motive-spring 90 to open the doors.

Thus the manual opening of doors and the automatic closing thereafter is in no way involved with the occurrence of an automatic opening, and may be repeated as often as desired (as for several cars leaving a garage before one returns) without the occurrence of an automatic door-opening having any bearing on this phase of the operation.

Similarly, the manual closing of doors and the automatic opening thereafter is in no way involved with the occurrence of an automatic closing, and may be repeated as often as desired quite independently of the automatic closing phase of operation.

Taking the doors for example in closed position, it is immaterial in the design of the device whether the doors are next re-set for an automatic closing, or whether an automatic opening is directly obtained. Either may be done, according to the needs of the user or users. The door-closing and the door-opening actions are in two independent phases, each phase being served by an independent motive-means, and holding and releasing means therefor.

As alternative applications, the door-opening parts may be used in a mechanism made up without parts related to door-closing, or the doorclosing parts may be used in a mechanism made up without parts related to door-opening.

Thus a door-opening device may be used to open the door upon approaching it without having a door-closing device in combination with it. Or a door-closing device maybe used to close the door upon driving away from the garage without having a door-opening device to open the door upon coming back.

In such a door-closing device, the unclutching of the element I from the jaws 44 serves to free the door from the bearing of the closing motive means, which affords various conveniences, such as permitting of the door being opened by hand without resistance by the motive means, permitting of the door being set in any desired position between fully closed and open positions, and permitting of the door being left in fully open position without danger of its being driven closed by accidental setting off or otherwise in case of children playing within the moving range of the door.

Motive means 00 acts to open the doors with a relatively rapid movement, and, when they approach the limit of travel at open position, chain I 6 pulls the air-cylinder piston-rod downward in the air-cylinder against air-compression, and this acts as a cushioning means to yieldingly terminate the movement. Motive means 9| acts to close the doors with a relatively rapid movement, and, when they approach the limit of travel at closed position, bumper 47, engaged by yoke 48 traveling upward with cables 00 and I 0| as these follow with the closing action, pushes piston rod I I9 upward in the air-cylinder against aircompression and this acts as a cushioning means to yieldingly terminate the movement.

Each of the two springs 90 and 9| operates the doors without resistance by the other. Button III is attached to both of the cables that are connected to these springs, and when this button is trapped on jaws 44 it prevents the dooropening spring 90 from having any effect and affords an anchorage for the lower end of spring 9 When the doors are opened manually, spring 9? extends, and, according to the office of latch M3 on trigger 42, described, spring 9| must contract again and bring the doors into closed position before spring 90 can be brought into action. Thus spring 96 applies no resistance to spring 9|. Then when spring 90 is released, to open the doors, by release of button from jaws 44, the driving movement pulls button I downward, and it thus gives ed to spring 9| required slack in cable N78 to permit spring 9| to idle upward, inert, as the cables I02 and I03, following with the door, lift it. Spring 9| thus ofifers no resistance to the door driving effort applied by spring 90.

Since neither motive means resists the action of the other, both may be made of substantially the same power, and this may be held at a minimum, while avoiding interconnecting friction also, so as to require a minimum of eifort in the re-setting of the mechanism by manual operation of the doors.

The door drive actions of springs 90 and 9| continue to completion when once started by the release of their respective holding means, and since any momentary release of these holding means is effective to release the motive means, this release being in both cases effective by pulling cable I09 from depression of platen I0, any depression of platen I0 completed momentarily before doors have gone through any or part of their movement is sumcient to set into action the door driving mechanism.

I claim:

1. A door operator comprising, in combination, a door, a door-operating mechanism, energy storing motive means for closing and opening the door, means connecting the motive means to the door adapted to completely reset said motive means upon manual operation of the door, means for engaging said motive means when reset to hold the motive force from operating the door, and a single contact operable by contact with a vehicle to release the said holding means and allow the motive means to operate the door.

2. A door, a door-driving mechanism, an energy storing motive means for door-closing, another energy-storing motive means for dooropening, each of said motive means being arranged to operate without resistance by the other, and control means adapted to apply either motive means, and to determine which motive means is to be applied for operation of the door from a given position.

3. A door operator comprising, in combination, a wheel-contact member depressible by the wheel of a vehicle, a motive means normally tending to open the doors, another motive means normally tending to close the doors, means for engaging each of said motive means to hold its motive force from operating the doors, means connected with the wheel-contact member for releasing either motive means, and means for determining which motive means is to be released to efiect appropriate operation of the door.

4. A door operator comprising a door driving mechanism adapted to drive doors open and closed, a motive means normally tending to open the doors, another motive means normally tending to close the doors, means for engaging each of said motive means to hold its motive force from operating the door means for releasing each of said holding means, and means controlled by the position of the doors for governing the releasing means to release-when doors are in open position-the holding means associated with the door closing motive means to allow the latter to close the doors, and to releasewhen doors are in closed position-the holding means associated with the door opening motive means to allow the latter to open the doors.

5. A door operator comprising a door driving mechanism, an energy storing motive means normally tending to open the doors, means for engaging the motive means to hold its motive force from operating the door means for releasing the last mentioned means, and means controlled by the position of the door for confining the release of said holding means to the time when doors are within a predetermined range of closed position.

'6. A door operator comprising in combination,

- a door, a mechanism to drive the door open and closed, two motivemeans one for door opening and the other-for door closing means for applying either motive means as required for appropriate operation of the door, means for re-setting each of said motive means independently of the application of power by the other, one of said motive means being re-set by manual closing of the door, and the other being-re-set by manual opening of the door.

'7. A door operator comprising a drive member connected to a door, a motive means for door two .travelingvmembersv between the said drive .member. and the respective motive means above mentioned, re-setting. means, for the -motive means whereby manual closing of the door resets the door opening motive means, and manual opening. of the the door re-sets the door closing motive means, clutching means to grab one of the said traveling members to engage the door closing motive means at the termination of the manual closing of the door, by which clutching means the said door closing motive means is anchored to apply its bearing normally to close the door and hold it closed.

8. A door operator comprising a drive member connected to a door, a motive means for door opening anothermotive means for door closing, .two traveling members between the said drive imember andthe respective motive means above .mentioned, re-setting means for. the said motive means whereby manual closing of the door resets the door opening motive means and manual opening. of ,the door re-sets the door closing motive means, clutching means to grab one of the said traveling members to engage the door closingmotive means to anchor the latter to apply door opening motive means in re-set position,

and selective releasing means actuated by the pull of a 'cable connected from a wheel-contact member in the runwaywhereby, when such pull occurs with door open the means that holds the door in open position is released to allow the door to close, but whereby the. door opening motive means is released only when the cable pull from contact member in runway occurs with doors within a predetermined range of closed position,

in which position: the said pull fromcontact member disengages also the said clutching means to disengage from anchorage the door closing motive means.

9. A door operating mechanism arranged to. open and close doors, including a door opening motive means and a door closingmotive means, and means for engaging said door closing motive means to cause the same'to bear continuously on the doors to keep them normally closed, en-J gaging means for holding the motive forceof said door opening motive means from operating the doors, and meansforsimultaneouslyreleasing both said engaging means whereby the door closing motive'means is. rendered inefiective'to resist the door opening motive. means.

10.-A door and motive means to close andopen it, a traveler connected to-the door and to motive means to close the door, another traveler: connected to motivevmeans to open the "door and? automatically engaged holding means to hold the last named traveler while. the first named traveler is under movement.

'11. A-door operator-comprising a mechanism to drive doors open and closed,: an energy storing motive means connected: to said mechanism and normally tending to open the doors, another energy storing motivemeans-connected to said mechanism and normally tending .to'close the doors, means-for engaging each of said motive means to hold its motive forcefrom operating the doors, vehicle-actuated meansto release either of said holding means to allowsuch motive means as requiredzfor appropriate operation tooperate the doors, and cushioning means to yieldingly-"- terminate the movement of.;the doors when approaching either'limitcof:travel atthe open and closed positions.

12. Ai dooroperating mechanism for driving a door openand closed, comprising an energy stor-i ing motive .means connected'to'said mechanism normally tending to 'openithedoor, another energy storing motive means. connected'to said :mechanism normally'tending to close the door, 2- means operable by manual handling of the doors to store up energy in each of said motive means to supply power to operate the door, means for wheel of a vehicle for selectively causing the door closing motive means to become operative when the door is in open position, and causing the door opening motive means to become operative when the door is in closed position, and'cushioning" means to yieldingly terminate the movement of door when approaching limit of travel at closed and open positions.

13. A door, an operator for the'door, motive means for the operator to apply closing and opening -movements to the 'door, cushioning means for cushioning the door movements limited in application to the termination of the door movements, adapted to act in two directions, one direction for each movement of the door, and connections withlthe cushioning means for resetting the latter in either direction, so arranged that when the cushioning vmeans cushions .the

door-movement. in one direction. the cushioning clutching means, an engageable member .upon

which the said clutching means engages to anchor the door-closing motive means, and means for clutching and unclutching the said clutching means so arranged that when the clutching means is unclutched the door-opening motive means is set into action, and that when doors are open it is independent of any release actions.

15. in a door operator a motive means normally tending to close the door, another motive means normally tending to open the door and means for setting it into action, a, clutching means on a member connected to the door, said clutching means being connected to the motive means tending to close the door, and means for unclutching the said clutching means at the same time as the door-opening motive means is set into action.

16. A door and closing and opening motive means therefor, a member connected to the door, a clutching means on the said member and connected to the door closing motive means, a traveler connected to the door opening motive means and associated with the said member to drive the door open, and a trigger to disengage said clutching means and set the door opening motive means into action.

1'7. In a door operator, a door closing motive means, a door opening motive means, automatic holding means for the motive means, a traveler arranged as a door-driving member, a clutch for the traveler connected to the door closing motive means, another traveler connected to the door opening motive means and associated with the first named traveler in driving the door, and a trigger arranged to unclutch the door closing motive means and at the same time to release the door opening motive means.

18. In a door operator, a door closing motive means, a door opening motive means, drive arms pivotally attached to doors and yoked to a traveler, a clutch for the traveler connected to the door closing motive means, holding means for holding the doors when brought to open position and releasing means therefor, another traveler connected to the door-opening motive means and holding and releasing means therefor, and a trigger arranged to unclutch the door-closing motive means and at the same time to release the holding means for the door opening motive means.

19. A door operator comprising a mechanism to drive doors open and closed, and connected to and actuated from a wheel-contact member depressible by the wheel of a vehicle, said wheelcontact member being supported by linkages that assume varying angular relations to a spring connection throughout the operable movement of the Wheel-contact member, the angular relation when the wheel-contact member is at a position corresponding to the beginning of depression atfording a maximum of resistance by the spring, said resistance falling off after said maximum has been overcome.

20. A door operating mechanism and a control means therefor, said control means including a contact member positioned for actuation by external contact and yieldingly so held through linkages by a spring, said linkages being positioned at a weak angle of attack against the spring at the beginning of actuation of the contact member, and throughout the actuation that follows upon the initial movement of the contact member, being positioned in progressively stronger angles of attack against the spring.

21. A door operator comprising mechanism to drive doors closed and open, and connected to and actuated from a contact assembly including, with suitable supporting and contact members,

horizontal and upright linkages substantially in one plane, arranged to be collapsed under contact and to be retrieved upon the removal of the contact.

22. A door operator comprising mechanism to drive doors open and closed and connected to and actuated from a depressible contact member, a spring-pressed intermediate member, a plurality of links supporting said intermediate member, and a plurality of links pivotally connected to said contact member and to said spring-pressed member, the two pluralities of links being relatively movable.

23. A door operator comprising mechanism to automatically close and open a door, a contact member connected to and actuating said mechanism, and an assembly supporting said contact member comprising a plurality of sets of links and a spring resistive intermediate member, one set of links having stationary pivots and also being pivotally connected to said intermediate member, and another set of links being independently pivoted to said intermediate member and also being pivotally connected to said contact member, the two sets of links extending in opposite directions from said intermediate member.

24. Door actuating mechanism which coinprises, in combination, door opening means, door closing means, means operable upon manual closing and opening of the door to store and retain energy in said opening and closing means, a single releasing means operable to release the energy for closing the door and to release the energy for opening the door, and means preventing the operation of the releasing means to open the door until after the door has been closed thereby.

25. Door actuating mechanism which comprises, in combination, a door opening spring, a door closing spring, means actuated by manual closing and opening of the door to place said springs under tension and latch them against release of their tension, a single actuating member for releasing the latching means for both springs, and means preventing the operation of the said releasing means on the opening spring until after the closing spring has been released.

FREDERICK A. PURDY. 

